LYNNWOOD, Wash. -- A local man said he came within seconds of having his car broken into, and perhaps stolen, until a real-life “superhero" came to his aid, wearing tights, a mask and a skin-tight super suit.

The encounter started in Lynnwood Sunday evening when a man, who asked to be identified only as Dan, was walking back to his car in a parking lot when he saw a man with a metal strip trying to pry open his car.

“He started sticking it down between the window and the rubber strip,” said Dan.

Dan began to call 911, but said help arrived before he even finished dialing.

“From the right, this guy comes dashing in, wearing this skin-tight rubber, black and gold suit, and starts chasing him away,” said Dan.

What Dan didn’t know is that just about every night, an anonymous Seattle man strolls into a comic store, enters a hidden back room and emerges transformed.